PORT ANGELES — Young professionals are invited to network, mingle and socialize at the first gathering Thursday for those 21 through 45 years old who live on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Peninsula Young Professionals Network is an informal group that plans to meet once a month, Linty Hopie, a member of the planning committee, said.
The event will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Wine on the Waterfront inside The Landing mall, 115 E. Railroad Ave.
Attendees will purchase their own food and drink.
Hopie and Brian Kuh, a commercial loan officer at First Federal, conceived of the idea many months ago, she said.
Since then, the two of them have gathered other professionals to develop the idea further.
“I really saw a huge need for this sort of thing when I first moved here a year and a half ago,” Hopie said.
“We don’t have a lot of young professionals like places like Seattle, and there is a need for those who come into town to have a place to plug in and start to build their network.
“There is also a need for those who are already here to meet with the people who are coming in.
“And it is difficult for people to meet their peers who are in other industries, so we wanted to give that opportunity.”
So far, a planning committee of about 35 people have met twice to develop a mission statement.
Hopie said the group is also developing a Facebook page so that networking can continue even when there is not a meeting. The page is available at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=113275834814&ref=ts.
She emphasized that the group is open to anyone in the age group or who is “young at heart.”
“This is definitely of regional interest,” she said.
“We have had people who will come from Port Townsend and people who will come from Forks,” she said.
Meetings will alternate between Sequim and Port Angeles.
“Eventually we will consider Port Townsend and Forks as well, but for now that is where we are starting,” she said.
The group is informal, and there are no required meetings or dues, she said.
“This is a totally guilt-free group,” she said.
After some time, she said, the group might consider having speakers or partnering with other business and service organizations for events, but the primarily purpose is to help young professionals grow their network.
“We’re not a nonprofit, and we’re not out there to do all these fundraisers of our own or anything,” she said.
“We just want to have a place for young people to meet and socialize.”
For more information, visit the site’s Facebook page or contact Hopie via e-mail at lintyh@pcadmin.ctc.edu.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
